Cookies

We made some chocolate chip cookies last night for family home evening. Should that be capitalized? Oh well. Anyway, this morning I am the only one awake and watching the sun rise at...8:15? Yeah. It is that early. I just put Ryan back down to bed and then picked up the front room that I should have cleaned last night. Well, I go into the kitchen and I see the cookies. My first thought is that I should reward myself for being productive this morning.

ARE YOU KIDDING???

The sad truth. I want to reward myself for being up at 7:15, feeding Ryan, changing Ryan's clothes from a spit up/diaper disaster, getting him to laugh, putting him to bed, starting a load of laundry and picking up the front room.

I know that there are a lot of people who are up earlier and have done more with their day, but I still want that cookie. For a girl that would like to get back to pre-Ryan weight, I should realize how bad cookies are for breakfast.

Well, I decided to back away from the cookies and come blog to take my mind off of my bad temptation in the kitchen. I turn on the computer and pull up the internet and on the front page of yahoo! is an article about how pizza is a not so unhealthy option for breakfast. I wish I had some pizza!!! (Here is the link if you want it http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthieryou/1/pizza-for-breakfast-yes/)

I love pizza for breakfast. Derek thinks that I am a little crazy on this issue. I think that the Lord blessed me with the ability to enjoy cold food. I eat warm/cold food a lot. This is thanks to my children. It is part of my how to loose weight and crave cookies in the morning diet. Here is how it works.

You need to make sure that your children that can eat solids have everything on their plate that you cooked for your well-balanced dinner. Then cut everything that might even have a possibility of needing to be cut. You don't want to interrupt your dinner to cut something that your child freaked out over because it is the size of a nickel instead of a dime.

Next, grab the pitcher of what ever liquid you are serving your family to drink because you forgot it when you were setting the table. Oh yeah, and the cups. Time to eat? Yeah right. Good luck on that.

You think that it is time to finally eat and so you sit on your chair and pick up your fork and start to salivate because you are a world class cook and people wish that you would cook for them so that they could taste your heavenly creations. This is when your food starts to get really cold. The baby that you love so much decides that even though you fed him very recently wants to eat again. I think that may be he doesn't want to be left out.

There you go. Cold food. If you are like me you don't reheat, just eat. The more time you waste in reheating the less time you will have to eat.




I will brag about what I had yesterday for breakfast. I made myself apples and cinnamon oatmeal. It was good, but oatmeal is never good cold!!! I had to reheat once, but then when it came time to do it again I decided to wait until lunch to eat something.

I hope that my family knows I love them and that food it just one of the small sacrifices I am willing to make. By the way, I still want the cookie.

Graceful

Dear Grace,

Your Uncle Christopher came over this afternoon with his girlfriend Heidi. While he was here he reminded me of something you said about a year and a half ago.



I had said, "You are so graceful."

You then replied with, "And you are mommyful and dad is daddyful and grandma is grandmaful."

It was so cute!!

I was glad that Christopher reminded me of that.

I love you!
Mom

Happy Baby

Dear Ryan,

This past week you have started to smile and laugh. When you smile you look just like Grace did at your age. Your laugh is so cute. It sounds like you are hyperventilating. On Monday, as we were getting ready for our trip, I was singing along with Norah Jones and you were laughing, smiling and singing along with me. Daddy opted out of the singing.

I love playing with you!

During the family prayer at Grandpa Clark's funeral you were smiling and laughing so hard. It was very comforting. You are such a blessing to me!

Love,
Mom

Vacation

I am on vacation, sort of. I really just moved my job to another location. If I am being honest isn't that really what a vacation for a mother is? I guess I don't have to do dishes or laundry, but all the other stuff that makes up my "job" is still intact. I think that they should be called business trips. This morning instead of receiving a paycheck I am getting smiles and giggles from Ryan (and diapers to change).

I loved this business trip. Derek did a good job of planning the family vacation in about a day. We are in St. George, which Grace keeps calling home. She also thinks that they are not in the season of winter, but in summer. She is having fun. Ryan is not. He thinks St. George is the place for crying, at least in the evening.

Yesterday we went to Snow Canyon. It is a beautiful drive to the park. There is a five dollar fee per vehicle, but it is well worth it. We walked one of the easy half mile hikes. There was a slot canyon and a lookout at the end. Because it is a sandstone formation there was beautiful flow patterns and holes had been eroded. Derek and Grace climbed through the places that had been carved out by the wind. Very kewl!!!

We drove through Santa Clara and some other small towns trying to find some lunch. We drove past the Relief Society House. I don't have background on that. I will have to look it up. We saw a beautiful chapel built out of the red sandstone. It looked amazing next to the red cliffs.

Before we went on this fun adventure we went shopping. Grace seemed to enjoy herself, but the boys, I think, thought that I was poisoning them. Grace now has a beautiful Easter dress. My favorite dress there cost $50, but I settled for my second favorite at $25. I hope they go on sale before Easter so I can go and get the other one. I hate being rational.

Cheerios

Dear Grace,

Today you said the funniest thing.

Background: You like your cereal in a bowl with out milk and a cup with milk. Basically, you don't like to mix what is supposed to be mixed. I think you have put milk in cereal maybe a handful of times. You also don't like bread on your sandwiches. You just eat the middle stuff; cheese, meat, etc.


This morning you asked, even with a please, if you could have Honey Nut Cheerios. I got both of us cereal. I was distracted when pouring the milk and I out milk in your cereal. I told you that I was sorry and that I accidentally put milk in your cereal. You then said, "That is accidentally okay."

What in the world does that mean?!

Am I forgiven or not? Is this "accidental okay" a one time deal? Does it apply to anything else? Does that mean you will always have a phobia about milk in cereal because I screwed up? I don't get it.

One of my heros

On Saturday my dad had his birthday. He turned "old". At least he turned older than me. My dad has taught me a lot through the past quarter of a century plus a few weeks. Some of the things I remember hearing are: "Life's not fair", "Who is Noah?" (pronounced noooo-ahhhh, usually accompanied with an eye roll), "Those are happy noises" referring to children playing loudly and last but not least........pregnant pauses.

I love my dad and I am so glad that he is my dad. He is one of the big reasons I have such an amazing husband. I always wanted someone like my dad. He listens to me, makes me feel important, has hairy arms and legs, honors priesthood and loves to play.

He never let people call me shy and was always very encouraging. He gave me confidence and showed me that I had something to offer. He always helped me see things from different points of views and asked me questions to make me think.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Growing Pains

Dear Ryan,

Life for a baby can be rough. I just want you to know that life will get better. Baby acne is hard and can be traumatic for young ones. I know that you are strong and will get through it. :)

You have grown three inches since you were born. That may not be totally accurate since that is what I did here at home. You are starting to grow out of lots of your clothes. Your little thighs are also starting fill out. I love it!!! You have been smiling quite a bit lately, just not at anything we do or say.

We have changed a lot as a family since you were born. Maybe it is more just me. I feel like I have changed a lot. I try to shower and get ready for the day after your morning feeding around 6:30. It makes me feel more productive. I also then can shower while your daddy is home instead of recruiting Grace as your babysitter. I am also a lot more on top of house cleaning. I feel like I have to be or the house falls into chaos.

Last night you were so grumpy before bed and I was not sure that you would make it through family home evening, but as soon as we started you fell asleep and did not wake up. I appreciate blessings that come immediately from obedience. I am all about immediate gratification.

I think that you might be getting a cold and that makes me nervous. I also think that you have cradle cap. I was looking at your hair today, which I love to do often, and your scalp looks like it might be peeling. You have the best hair. It is so soft and it has some curl to it. I like to run my fingers through it.

I am glad that you are here. I needed you more than I knew. Before you were born I was extremely nervous about having a son and a second child. (Ask Granny. She listened to me a lot. I am sure she rolled her eyes and maybe laughed at your neurotic mother, but she let me know I could do it.) One night we were at Daddy's mission reunion and I was talking to President Young and I voiced some of my concerns. He then referenced the Proclamation to the Family. he talked to me how each family has been divinely designed and that we are here for each other. He said that we can reach our potential in the families we are born into. He told me that I can help you more than another mother could and that is why you are mine. I was so grateful for his words. I felt a peace after talking to him. I still feel pressure when I think about what Dad and I need to prepare you for; the priesthood, a mission, patriarch of you future home and family. I know that you are a strong boy, but I hope that I am up to the task of preparing you.

I love you!
Mom